I currently coach on
being Anti-Fragile. I have developed my subconscious and nervous system to the
level that scary things don’t cause a reaction, they initiate a response.
What is the
difference? A reaction is the result of our subconscious and nervous system
that have been trained by past experiences telling us something.
They might say go for
it or it might say stop and retreat.
A citizen thrown into
a fierce fire fight would be scared sh*tless. A special ops soldier trained in
the scenario could hold his water and react as he has been trained.
The same with life-changing
decisions. What is in control, our fears or our logic?
I have had had two big leadership roles in which I was feeling overwhelm and a straw broke my back.
Straws are light and so they should not stop forward momentum.
Nonetheless, I used
them to rationalize my situation and allowed them to urge an exit for relief.
The thing is, relief
isn’t always relief. It just leads to a different set of circumstances. They
may be worse, not just different.
The two positions I
voluntarily gave up lead to worse situations. In the two, I was a leader with
great income, opportunity, and lots of responsibility for other people’s lives.
I was also the
spearhead for my superiors who needed me to perform for them to achieve their
objectives.
Those in my charge
needed me to perform for them so they could reach their objectives.
The big grind was
that the demands from those above and those below were frequently in conflict.
I was the transmission, so to speak, that had to make them mesh.
So, it wasn’t taking
orders or the leading that was difficult, it was the meshing.
This is the plight of
Middle Managers. It might also be the plight of CEO’s who have a great position
but have to please customers, shareholders and all other stakeholders. Their interests might be in
conflict.
What happens in the
struggle is we deplete our resources. Our resources are our energy and nervous
system. We don’t have a method of recharging.
We feel overwhelm and
burnout.
We are not
Anti-Fragile. We are totally fragile and subject to rash decisions.
In both my cases and a third I won’t cover now, I would up relieved but in worse situations. I would have been far better off battling through my fears and struggles to get to the other side.
So, what are the practices that build our Anti-Fragile System (AFS)
Radical Self-Awareness
Being aware of our
mental, emotional and physical systems. Reading the signs and knowing how to
pause panic.
Radical
Self-Governance
Understanding how our
subconscious and nervous system can be calmed and directed to act in accordance
with our “why” and not our desire to run. This is Internal Mastery.
Knowing Our North Star
If we lose sight of
our purpose we are then wandering in no man’s land. Our North Star has to be
the compass for all our yes’s and no’s.
Our Contribution
Imperative
What is it we have to
overcome to make the impact and contribution that is our purpose. Obstacles are
bumps not walls.
Mastering the
Feedback Loop
Obstacles and setbacks
are just data. They are not us failing. They give us direction not block us.
Conscious
Self-Engineering
The deliberate, proactive process of rewriting the limiting
beliefs that slow us down or stop us or make us flee.
The Pause and Pivot
This is when we reject
our first reaction and pause to evaluate how best to handle our situation in
line with reaching our North Star.
These are a few of the practices. Get them in greater depth in my E-book Internal Mastery, The Future You
Are you feeling in
control of your destiny?
#empower, #internalmastery,
#burnout, #anti-fragile, #goals